Fire and Ice
by Proforce
Summary: Story 7! Ash finally goes for his 7th badge, but it's not as easy as all that. First he has to earn the right to enter the gym and the battle within is unlike anything he's faced before. And what's with this new pokémon he has? R&R please!


"Fire and Ice"  
Author: Robert Brown  
  
Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Nintendo,  
Game Freak, and/or 4 Kids Inc. (except where noted, in which case  
they were created and copyrighted by me or by another and I have  
permission to use them). The author hereby gives permission for  
this story to be downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as  
long as (1) no changes to the story are made without my express  
written(not e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to  
profit from this story. If either or both rules are violated, it  
will be considered a violation of copyright law.  
  
Author's Note: Well, I'd like to think I'm picking up speed, but we all know  
that's not really the case. Maybe if I can get this story out within two  
weeks of when I started it (August 5th, 2004) I'll feel better about myself.  
  
As some of you will see, this story is where I'll be  
incorporating a lot more of the game universe into this. Don't worry, our  
favorite bumblers will still be around. You'll see what I mean. For those of  
you who are still with me, that is. I'm really proud of the things that  
happen in this story, I just hope you are all as proud to read them. Till  
next time, Happy Reading!  
  
As of a couple days from posting time, a rumour has reached  
my ears that the animé in Japan may be putting Misty and Tracey together as a  
couple in one of their specials. Now, if this comes to pass, I am going to  
assure all my readers that it will have no bearing on this story or any of the  
ones that follow it, or any of the couples that are planned. The animé's  
Hoenn season will simply become like the Sonic Archie comic series; based on  
something I love, but ruined by the people in charge. So please do not  
inundate me with reviews or e-mails demanding that I introduce Orangeshipping  
if this actually occurs. It will not happen here. The Orange League won't  
even be a part of the storyline! I hope you'll still read these, but the  
choice is yours.  
  
#7  
  
The sun was just peeking above the eastern horizon when three figures  
emerged from the Flaming Flareon Hotel. One of them, Ash Ketchum by name,  
strode through the mostly empty town on Cinnabar Island with his intended  
destinations firmly in mind. The other two, Misty Waterflower and a girl  
known only as Penny, followed along slightly behind and to either side of him.  
  
Ordinarily this group would be joined by their friend Brock. But with  
the attack he'd suffered at the hands of the Red Squad, he wasn't yet up to  
travelling, even just to the Pokémon Center and the Cinnabar Gym. And even if  
he hadn't been injured, it was still a good chance that he would've wanted to  
stay behind with Suzie.  
  
Ash looked at his shoulder, still not used to the absence of his first  
pokémon from her favorite perch. He looked out of the corner of his eyes to  
where that very pokémon, in her human form, walked behind him. Penny noticed  
him looking and sent him a soft smile. Ash smiled back and then turned to  
look over his other shoulder. Misty walked there, holding Togepi as always.  
And, like Penny, when she saw him looking she sent him the same smile.  
  
Ash was just thinking about how lucky he was to have two such good, not  
to mention beautiful friends when his field of vision exploded in pain and he  
found himself flat on his back. "Ash!" both girls yelled, running over and  
kneeling down next to him. "Are you OK?"  
  
Ash sat up with a groan. "What hit me?" he asked rubbing the side of  
his head.  
  
"You mean, 'What did I hit?'" Penny said with a chuckle.  
  
"Huh?" Ash asked, looking confused. He looked up to where Penny was  
pointing and saw the closed gates to the Pokémon Center. "But it should've  
been open already!"  
  
"Actually Ash, I think we're a little early," Misty said. "The sun's  
not even fully up yet."  
  
Ash groaned and fell back onto the ground. He had every intention of  
remainining there until the girls each grabbed an arm and hauled him up to his  
feet. "Up and at 'em Ash," Penny said, brushing off his back and backpack.  
"You're the one that dragged us out of bed early, so you're not laying down  
now."  
  
Ash mumbled something under his breath but stopped as the security gates  
started to rise. "Finally," he said, pulling the door open as the gates  
cleared it. She started to walk through it when the sound of two throats  
being cleared behind him stopped him mid-step. He looked behind him and saw  
the faces of two mildly annoyed girls glaring at him. It took him a minute to  
realize exactly what was bothering them. "After you," he said, moving aside  
as he held the door open for them.  
  
"Why thank you kind sir," Misty said, dropping a kiss on his cheek as  
she walked past him.  
  
"It is most appreciated," Penny said, doing the exact same thing.  
  
Ash just stared slack-jawed at them for a moment before following them  
inside. "I've gotta start doing that more often," he said as he walked over  
to the pokémon transfer machine. He slipped into the seat and picked up the  
phone. "I hope he's awake," he muttered, dialing the number he knew so well.  
  
"What are we doing here Ash?" Penny asked as he sat back and waited for  
the phone at the other end to be picked up. "I figured you'd want to be at  
the gym as soon as it opened."  
  
"I do, but I need to be prepared for it," Ash said, his eyes fixed on  
the screen in front of him. "I didn't catch any new water pokémon at Seafoam  
Islands and Bulbasaur isn't going to be much use to me against fire types at  
the gym, and I don't want him to get hurt. So I'm waiting for Professor Oak  
to pick up the phone so I can trade Bulbasaur for Krabby."  
  
"Wow Ash," Misty said, sounding impressed, "it seems like you really  
thought this out. A lot better choice than when he tried using you against  
Brock, huh?" she asked Penny.  
  
"I wanted to hurt him for that," Penny agreed with a laugh. "But who  
would've thought he could've found a way for me to beat Geodude?"  
  
"Who's there?" a tired and cranky voice came from the screen suddenly,  
making both girls jump.  
  
"It's me Ash," Ash said brightly, though his mood faded when the video  
clicked on and Professor Oak's worn face came into view. "Umm, I woke you up,  
didn't I?"  
  
"What gave you that idea?" Professor Oak asked sarcastically before he  
calmed himself. "What can I do for you Ash?"  
  
"I want to exchange Bulbasaur for Krabby if it's not too much trouble.  
I'll need Krabby for my Cinnabar Gym battle."  
  
"You're at the Cinnabar gym? Yes, it's a good choice." Professor Oak  
rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stood up straighter. "All right, put  
Bulbasaur's pokéball in the transfer and I'll send Krabby to you as soon as I  
have it."  
  
Penny watched Ash as he pulled Bulbasaur's pokéball from his belt. She  
slipped a hand in the pocket of her shorts and fingered the pokéball she had  
put there after retrieving it from Ash's backpack. She had absolutely no  
interest in keeping this pokémon, and it could help Ash immensely. Her  
decision made, she edged closer to Ash, trying not to let herself be seen.  
  
Professor Oak took the pokéball from his transfer machine and placed the  
one holding Krabby inside. "All right Ash," he said, pushing the transfer  
button, "Krabby's on his way."  
  
Ash watched the transfer machine on his end, waiting for Krabby's  
pokéball to appear. But nothing happened. "Umm, Professor?" he said into  
the phone, "it's not here."  
  
"That's odd," Professor Oak said, checking the machine. "Everything  
seems to be working just fine." He pushed a few buttons and stared at the  
results on the screen in front of him. "How utterly peculiar. This machine  
seems convinced you still have six pokémon on you."  
  
"Six? But how? I just sent you one didn't I?" As Professor Oak  
stumbled for an explanation, Ash checked his belt for his pokéballs and  
checked them off one by one. "Pikachu's, Charizard's, Squirtle's, Lapras',  
Pidgeotto's....wait, what's this one?" he asked, pulling an unfamiliar  
pokéball off his belt and looking at it. "I didn't have this this morning."  
  
"Well, that explains it then," Professor Oak said. "If you still want  
Krabby, I suggest you send me that pokéball and let me take a look at it."  
  
"Umm, no, that won't be necessary," Penny said quickly, leaning over  
Ash's shoulder to get in the picture. "It's a pokémon I picked up recently  
that I'm sure will be of more use to him than Krabby."  
  
"Oh, and who are you young lady?" Professor Oak asked. "I don't  
remember ever seeing you before."  
  
"My name's Penny," she said, flashing him a warm smile. "I met up with  
everyone at Seafoam Islands and they let me tag along."  
  
"Well, if you're sure that this pokémon of yours is what he needs, then  
I'll leave things in your hands. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll make  
like a snorlax."  
  
"When did you have time to catch a pokémon?" Misty asked, peering at  
the pokéball.  
  
"Err...." Penny said as a sweatdrop made its way down the back of her  
hair. "Don't worry about that right now. Just take my word on it, OK?"  
  
"Well, OK," Ash said, clipping the pokéball back to his belt. "You've  
never led me wrong before. What pokémon is it?"  
  
"I'll leave that as a surprise for now," Penny said mysteriously,  
flicking the tip of Ash's nose gently. "Come on, we'd better get to that  
gym." And with Penny leading the way, that's exactly what they did.  
  
The gym was hard to miss; it was clearly the oldest building on the  
island. The roof was adorned by statues of all manner of fire pokémon, with  
the very center sporting a majestic image of the mighty Moltres. It was just  
the place you would expect a fire master to set up shop.  
  
Ash walked boldly up to the front door and knocked on it loudly. The  
sound reverberated in the still air until the echoes finally faded into  
silence. "Maybe they didn't hear you?" Penny said, pulling her fingers out  
of her ears.  
  
"I think the whole island heard that," Misty retorted. "Still, it  
couldn't hurt to try again."  
  
Ash nodded and lifted his fist to knock again when an intercom set into  
the wall next to the door crackled to life. "What?" a scratchy and extremely  
cranky voice demanded.  
  
"I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town," Ash said, straightening himself up.  
"I've come to challenge the Gym leader for a Volcano Badge."  
  
"Do you have the key?" the voice demanded.  
  
"Key? What key?"  
  
"No key, no challenge. Now go away!"  
  
"Hey come on!" Ash said, getting into a fighting pose. "Let me in so  
we can battle!" When no answer was forthcoming, Ash started knocking on the  
doors again. "Let me in!"  
  
A nozzle extended from just under the intercom and spat a stream of fire  
at Ash, making him back away. "I told you to go away!" the voice yelled  
through the intercom. When you can find the key, I'll let you in. Not  
before!"  
  
"Ash!" Misty yelled, quickly calling out Staryu to put out the fire on  
Ash's shirt. "Who does this guy think he is?"  
  
"Misty, can you have Staryu soak the doors?" Penny asked, holding her  
arms out to the side. "He wants a key? I've got a key for him."  
  
"No!" Ash said curtly, startling both Penny and Misty. "I'll play his  
game. I don't want there to be any question about earning this badge, like  
some have accused me of in the past."  
  
Both Penny and Misty blushed and looked down. "You know we didn't mean  
anything by that," Misty said, looking up at Ash slowly.  
  
"I know," Ash said, relaxing. "Still, who know what other traps he has  
if we try to force our way in. Let's just try to find that key."  
  
"Do you have any idea where to look?"  
  
"Not a clue," Ash admitted. "Come on, let's get back to the hotel.  
Maybe Brock and Suzie can help us figure it out."  
  
As they walked back to the hotel, Misty couldn't help but notice the  
tension in the way Ash walked. Once again, something was coming between him  
and his seventh badge. But this time, there was no way he was going to allow  
it to stay in his way. And if Misty had anything to say about it, neither  
would she.  
  
Back in the hotel's penthouse suite, all the friends were gathered  
around Brock's bed as they waited for room service to bring in their  
breakfasts. "I always thought that no gym leader could refuse you once you  
challenged them," Brock said, trying to prop himself up against the headboard  
since he was still not allowed out of bed.  
  
"Well, I have no way of really knowing if I was talking to the gym  
leader," Ash pointed out. "Remember when we were in Celadon? I had to get to  
Erika to challenge her. The only way to do that here is to get that key I  
guess."  
  
"Well, let's see what my guidebook has to say," Brock said, moving the  
covers aside as he prepared to get up.  
  
"And where do you think you're going?" Suzie asked, slipping into bed  
next to him and wrapping her arms gently around his bandaged chest. "You know  
you're not supposed to get up."  
  
Brock blushed and stammered as the other three looked on, chuckling.  
"My bag's right over there," he said, pointing to where it lay against the  
wall. "It's not like I had to leave or anything."  
  
"I can get it for you Brock," Penny said, going through his bag. "Here  
ya go."  
  
"Thanks," Brock muttered as he caught the book Penny tossed to him.  
"Anyway, let's see what it says about the gym leader here. Hmm...it says here  
his name is Blaine and he used to be a top scientist, making Cinnabar his base  
of operations before it was turned into such a tourist trap. It also says his  
old lab was destroyed in some kind of explosion, the same one that made him  
stop being a scientist."  
  
"Now that you mention it, I did see a burned out building on the edge of  
town," Misty said with a thoughtful look. "This must be his old lab."  
  
"And what better place to hide the key then somewhere you know inside  
and out?" Ash asked of no one in particular. "Come on, let's go check it  
out."  
  
"I don't know if that's such a good idea Ash," Brock said, turning a  
couple pages in his book. "According to this that building's been condemned  
as completely unsafe."  
  
"All the more reason for it to be hidden there," Ash said with a smirk.  
"Anyone who's not serious about this will just give up and move on, and he  
only wants to face the ones who are brave enough to try this."  
  
"Or stupid enough," Misty murmured darkly.  
  
"Still, he does have a point," Penny said reluctantly. "It's making  
perfect sense to me; this has to be the only place that key could be. Anyway,  
could a gym leader send a trainer into someplace unsafe for them?"  
  
"They're not supposed to," Brock said. "Even when we were in Koga's  
gym, we really weren't in any danger."  
  
"It's settled then," Ash said, getting up and turning his hat around.  
"I'm going to go get that key!"  
  
"You're going?" Both Penny and Misty asked, their eyes narrowing.  
"Don't you mean we're going?"  
  
Ash sweatdropped and took a step back. "If it's as dangerous as they  
say, I don't want the two of you to get hurt," he explained.  
  
"As sweet as that is...." Penny began.  
  
"...We are not going to just sit here and let you get yourself hurt...."  
Misty continued, not missing a beat.  
  
"...Understand?" they finished together, staring a hole through Ash.  
  
Ash stepped back so quickly he nearly fell on his backside. "Umm, all  
right," he said meekly. "Let's get going then."  
  
"Room service!" a bellhop said as he knocked on the front door.  
  
"Right after we eat breakfast," Ash said, zooming toward the door as  
Misty and Penny both facefaulted.  
  
"That was freaky," Brock said after the three of them had left, leaving  
Togepi in his and Suzie's care.  
  
"I know," Suzie said. "Just yesterday I was sure things would come to  
blows between them."  
  
"Misty and Pikachu were always good friends. I guess that's still the  
case, no matter Pikachu's form."  
  
The three friends soon made their way to the abandoned lab, little more  
than a burned out husk of a structure. "This place is giving me the creeps,"  
Penny admitted, taking a step or two closer to Ash and grabbing onto his arm.  
  
"Any excuse," Misty muttered with a sigh. "Are we going to stand around  
here all day or are we going in?"  
  
"If you want in," a tall man said, stepping out of one of the holes in  
the wall and making Misty jump and grab onto to Ash's free arm, "then you have  
to get by me."  
  
"Looks like you found a good excuse yourself," Penny said, directing a  
smirk at Misty.  
  
Misty growled a little at Penny but they both found themselves pulled  
off balance as Ash stepped forward. "So this is where the key is hidden," Ash  
said, gently shaking his arms free from the girls' grasps.  
  
"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't," the man said. "You'll have to beat me to  
find out."  
  
Ash sized up the man in front of him. He was on the tall side, probably  
approaching six feet, and lanky. The shirt and pants he wore were a dark  
black except for the fire designs stitched into them. Over his clothing he  
wore a long, white lab coat. "I accept your challenge," Ash said, taking a  
pokéball from his belt and enlarging it to full size.  
  
"I thought you might. Go Flareon!"  
  
Ash smiled to himself as the fire stone evolved form of Eevee made its  
appearance. "Squirtle! I choose you!"  
  
"Like that puny pokémon can defeat my flareon?" the scientist smirked.  
"Flareon, use take down!"  
  
"Dodge it and use water gun!" Ash yelled, smiling when the turtle  
pokémon did just as he asked. "Now use skull bash!"  
  
"Bite him as he gets close!" the scientist ordered.  
  
"Withdraw!" Ash yelled, breathing a sigh of relief as the flareon's  
jaws closed on Squirtle's shell and not his neck. "Use water gun again!"  
Squirtle blasted his water gun right into the flareon's still open mouth,  
making the pokémon yelp in pain and back off on wobbly feet. "Now finish him  
off with your own take down!"  
  
"Flareon!" the scientist yelled as Squirtle's take down attack scored a  
direct hit and fainted the fire pokémon. "Well played," he grumbled,  
returning his fallen pokémon to its pokéball.  
  
"Good job Squirtle! Return!"  
  
"Squisquirtle!" Squirtle said, giving Ash the thumbs up before being  
swallowed up by red light as he went back into his pokéball.  
  
"Now tell me," Ash said, facing the scientist again, "is this where the  
key to the gym is?"  
  
"Yeah yeah," the scientist grumbled. "It's in here all right, but  
you'll have to find it yourself. I'm not going to give you any hints where it  
might be."  
  
"Don't worry, we'll find it," Ash said confidently. "Come on girls,  
let's get inside."  
  
"Where do you think you two are going? He's the one that beat me, so  
he's the only one allowed inside."  
  
"You're crazy!" Misty yelled. "You can't keep us out here!"  
  
"Wanna bet?" the scientist asked, his smirk firmly back in place.  
  
"Fine, then I'll battle you myself! If all you have are fire types,  
then any one of my water types will beat you."  
  
"Water types are weak," the man sneered.  
  
"So says the guy that just lost to a squirtle," Penny said, rolling her  
eyes.  
  
"Shut up you! I don't even see you with any pokémon so what gives you  
the right to say anything?"  
  
"Don't you yell at her!" Ash said, stepping in front of the girls  
protectively.  
  
"You know what? I've changed my mind. None of you are allowed inside  
now."  
  
"Just wait until the Indigo League Council hears about this!" Misty  
said. "I'll make sure you and your boss are stripped of your gym!"  
  
"Who do you think you are to make accusations like that?"  
  
"I'm Misty Waterflower, one of the Sensational Sisters of the Cerulean  
City Gym! And our other friend is Brock Slate, leader of the Pewter City  
Gym. So I think the Council will listen to us, don't you?"  
  
The scientist tried to stand his ground but eventually just moved aside.  
"Rest assured, I will be informing Blaine of this. He won't like it."  
  
"He'll have the chance to take it up with us once he sees us," Ash said  
as they walked past him.  
  
The man waited until they were all inside before closing the door behind  
them and pulling a walkie-talkie from his pocket. "They're in the lab," he  
said after flipping it on.  
  
"Excellent," the voice on the other end said. "I want them...dissuaded  
from challenging me. Inform the others."  
  
"On it," the scientist said, lifting up a panel in one of the lab's  
crumbling walls and pressing a button. "All measures are in place."  
  
"Excellent. Keep me informed."  
  
Inside the lab, Ash and friends were looking around with mixed awe and  
trepidation. It was easy to imagine this place bustling with scientists and  
researchers as they went about their day-to-day jobs. But it was nearly  
impossible to wrap their minds around what could've caused so much damage to  
such a building. And they all worried that whatever caused it was still  
around, and still ready to cause damage.  
  
Screwing up his courage, Ash stepped forward suddenly, making the girls  
step up quickly to stay with him. "I really don't like this place Ash," Misty  
said after a moment.  
  
"You can wait outside if you want," Ash said, straining to see as his  
eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. "But I have to go on."  
  
"I never said I wasn't coming," Misty said loudly, making some rattata  
scurry for cover. "I just said I don't like this place."  
  
Ash nodded and started walking forward again. "You know Misty," he said  
conversationally, "you were wrong about something earlier. You're not one of  
the Sensational Sisters." After counting off five seconds in his head, he  
continued, "You're the only Sensational Sister."  
  
Misty froze in mid-kick, her sneaker not even an inch from the back of  
Ash's head. "Umm, thanks," she said, lowering her foot and momentarily  
blushing as red as her hair.  
  
"Since when did he get so smooth?" Penny whispered to Misty.  
  
"I have no idea," Misty said, her embarrassment still present in her  
voice. "But I gotta admit...I like it."  
  
They walked around the lab for a while, a little jumpy from the  
shadows that moved across their path. The majority were rattata and grimer,  
but every now and again they'd see a raticate or a muk that thought about  
confronting them. But for some reason when they saw Penny, they would just  
slowly back away until they turned and ran. Ash was a little disappointed  
when they wouldn't battle him, but he knew he needed his pokémon to be in as  
good a condition as they could just in case Blaine had stationed other  
trainers in here to wait for him.  
  
At least an hour passed before they found something of importance. "Hey  
guys!" Misty called from one of the many rooms. "Take a look at this."  
  
"What've you got there?" Ash asked, coming into the room and followed  
closely by Penny.  
  
"Looks like someone's journal," Misty said, picking a book up off the  
rickety table in front of her and flipping through the pages. "'September  
2nd,'" she read out loud, "'We've discovered a new pokémon today. We have  
named it Mew.'"  
  
"Mew?" Ash asked. "I've never heard of that pokémon before."  
  
"Neither have I," Misty said.  
  
"Well, does it say anything else?" Penny asked.  
  
"There are a few more entries, but it's all...just...oh no."  
  
"What?" Ash asked, worry creeping into his voice.  
  
"It's an entry dated in February the next year," Misty said, her hands  
shaking slightly. "'Mew has given birth. We've named the child Mewtwo."  
  
"Mewtwo? Isn't that the pokémon that leader of Team Rocket had?"  
  
"Yeah, but there's more. In the next month, whoever wrote this talks  
about Mewtwo's uncontrollable violence. 'We were charged with creating the  
ultimate pokémon. We succeeded too well.'"  
  
"So wait, what does that mean exactly?"  
  
"It means," a scratchy voice said from the doorway, "that we tampered  
with something we should've left alone."  
  
All three jumped and turned around as a man stepped into the room. The  
dim lighting revealed him to be at least as old as Professor Oak, and dressed  
in much the same way at that. But his clothes were in a sorry state of  
disrepair, and they all found themselves wondering just how much longer that  
lab coat of his would keep together. "Who are you?" Ash demanded, grabbing a  
pokéball from his belt.  
  
"So you're one of Blaine's challengers are you?" the man asked with a  
throaty chuckle. "I'll tell you what then; I'll answer your questions if you  
can beat me. I'll even give you a hint as to where you can find the key."  
  
"You're on!" Ash said, turning his hat around again. "Let's go  
Squirtle!"  
  
"You should never show your opponent your pokémon first," the man said,  
pulling a pokéball from somewhere in his tattered clothes. "Go Grimer!"  
  
"Grimer!" the sludgelike pokémon squealed as it appeared.  
  
"A grimer?" Ash asked, confused. "But I thought that you'd use a fire  
type."  
  
"Just because it's not a fire type doesn't mean it can't use fire moves.  
Don't ever make that mistake boy. Grimer! Fire blast!"  
  
"Look out Squirtle!" Ash cried. But Squirtle was so unprepared for the  
fire attack from the poison pokémon and was thrown against a far wall by the  
impact where it fainted immediately. "Squirtle return!"  
  
"Had enough kid? Or are you ready for round 2?"  
  
"I'm just getting warmed up. I choose you Lapras!"  
  
"You should never use an ice type against something that could use fire  
attacks. Use your fire blast again Grimer!"  
  
"Lapras, ice beam!" Ash called. Lapras opened her mouth and launched  
her ice beam right into and through the fire blast that the grimer used. In  
seconds, the grimer was encased in ice. "Good job Lapras, now return!"  
  
"But how?" the man asked as he recalled his frozen grimer. "Fire is  
supposed to be stronger than ice."  
  
"You should know that when a pokémon uses a move of its own type it's  
stronger than when it doesn't," Ash said with a small smirk. "So Lapras' ice  
beam was stronger than Grimer's fire blast."  
  
"Are we sure this is Ash?" Penny whispered to Misty. "I've never heard  
him be so...."  
  
"...Smart?" Misty asked with a smile.  
  
"Yeah, exactly," Penny said. "No offense to him, but we didn't fall for  
him for his brains."  
  
"I can hear you, you know," Ash said even though he kept his eyes on the  
man in front of him. As soon as he was sure both girls were blushing, he  
asked his first question. "Where is the key?"  
  
"The key's hidden in the basement," the man said, slumping down into a  
pile of debris shaped like a chair. "Down the hallway you'll see a statue of  
a magmar. Hidden in its mouth is a switch you need to flip to make the  
stairway appear. Once you get down there it shouldn't be too hard to find  
where the key is hidden."  
  
"Anyone down there guarding the key?"  
  
"Of course. And no, I'm not going to tell you what pokémon he has;  
don't want to make things too easy on you."  
  
"I can live with that," Ash said, taking off his hat and putting it back  
on the right way. "So what did you mean when you said you tampered with  
something you should've left alone?"  
  
The man sighed deeply and looked at Ash with eyes that were old beyond  
their years. "We captured Mew and brought her back here," he said in a low  
voice, one that the others had to strain to hear. "There have always been  
legends of this pokémon, and to actually find one.... But once we had her,  
what we did was unconscionable.  
  
"We tried to breed her, but no other pokémon would even go near her like  
that so we had to resort to drastic measures. After pumping her cage full of  
sleep powder, we artificially inseminated her."  
  
"You did what?" the three friends yelled, Misty and Penny from outrage  
and Ash from confusion.  
  
"It means we made her pregnant," the man said for Ash's benefit. "We  
used raw genetic material to fertilize her so that she'd give birth to the  
most powerful pokémon ever."  
  
"How could you do such a horrible thing?" Misty demanded, laying a  
calming hand on Penny's arm as she saw her friend start to glow yellow a  
little.  
  
"It was all in the name of science, I assure you. At least, that's what  
we were told. We had no idea of the horror we would unleash on this world or  
who would claim it as his own."  
  
"I thought Mewtwo's powers were uncontrollable though," Penny said.  
"When we ran into him, he listened to the leader of Team Rocket completely."  
  
"So, they finally perfected the cyber control armor. Anyway, it was  
never his powers, his violent tendencies were out of control. All this  
destruction you see here was caused by him in his attempt to escape. His  
mother had escaped the week before and tried to get with her son, but we drove  
her off before she could. And when he tried, this happened."  
  
"Serves you right," Penny said. "I never thought anyone could be so  
heartless."  
  
"Think what you will young lady, but what's done is done. We can no  
more undo it then take back a day. Now if there's nothing else, you really  
should get going. You don't want to be in this lab when the sun goes down."  
  
"Why not?" Ash asked.  
  
"Just trust me," the man said, closing his eyes. "Now please leave so  
I can get some rest."  
  
"Come on, let's leave him alone," Ash said as he walked out of the room.  
  
"You know, I feel bad for Mewtwo now," Misty said. "He's being forced  
to be the way he is."  
  
"I wish there was something we could do about it," Penny said, kicking a  
pebble aside with her boot.  
  
"Now that we know the truth, we can," Ash swore. "And believe me, we  
will someday."  
  
It took a while to find the statue the man had spoken of, because when  
they'd left the room they had chosen the wrong hallway to go down. And once  
they found it, they found the task to be more daunting then they thought it  
would be. The marble statue was about ten feet tall and as smooth as glass.  
Even with Ash's climbing skills, there were simply no handholds for him to  
grab onto. Penny was able to climb it once she turned into Pikachu, but her  
arm was too short to reach inside the magmar's mouth to where the switch lay.  
"Pi kapichu pikapi!" she called down, looking at Ash intently.  
  
"What'd she say?" Misty asked.  
  
"She told me to close my eyes and turn around," Ash said, suiting  
actions to words. A few seconds passed with nothing happening, but then the  
wall he was staring at shuddered as a section of it lifted up to reveal a  
downward wending staircase behind it. "Great job!" Ash said, turning back  
around with a smile.  
  
Penny let out a loud "Eep!" and scrambled behind the statue before Ash  
could see her. "What don't you understand about 'turn around?'" she yelled  
before she changed back to her Pikachu form.  
  
Ash snapped around quickly as his entire face turned bright red.  
"Sorry!" he started to say before he got dropped by a thunderbolt. "Was that  
really necessary?" he mumbled as he tried to pick himself up.  
  
"Besides, hasn't he seen you like that already?" Misty asked with more  
than a hint of jealousy in her voice.  
  
"No!" both Penny, who was now in her clothes, and Ash yelled.  
  
"But I thought...."  
  
"He never saw me Misty," Penny said through her own blush. "He was too  
busy trying to stay alive. And now that I know all about human modesty  
firsthand, I can guarantee he won't unless we both mean for it to happen."  
  
Ash had been about to say something, but that comment made him blush  
even harder and he ran for the stairs. He was halfway down to the basement  
before he waited for the girls to catch up, and he wouldn't have even waited  
if he wasn't afraid of what they'd do to him for not waiting.  
  
After they'd all reached the basement, they found it was so dark they  
could hardly see. Both Penny and Misty grabbed onto Ash's hands so as not to  
become separated from him, or so they claimed. Ash really didn't mind though  
as the darkness reminded him a little too vividly of his experience in the  
Tower of Terror.  
  
After their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they were able to pick out a  
glimmer of light off in the distance. "What do you think it is?" Misty asked  
in a low whisper.  
  
"I say we go find out," Ash said, starting toward the light before being  
pulled back by the girls. "What?"  
  
"I'm getting a really bad feeling about this," Penny said. "Something's  
just not right."  
  
"We don't have any choice you know. The key is down here somewhere and  
that looks like the best place to start. Now come on!"  
  
"You might as well come in," a deep voice said as a shadowy figure  
stepped in front of the light. "I know you're out there."  
  
"If you know I'm here then you know why I'm here," Ash said, walking  
forward and dragging the girls with him.  
  
"I'll admit, I'm impressed you got this far," the figure said, soon  
revealed to be yet another scientist, though he seemed to be only in his mid-  
twenties. "But if you want the key to Blaine's gym, you'll have to defeat me.  
And I promise you, I won't be as easy as the others."  
  
"Then bring out your pokémon," Ash said, removing a pokéball from his  
belt.  
  
The scientist chuckled. "Very well, I have no problem with going first.  
Let's see you take on my growlithe!"  
  
"Let's see your growlithe take on Lapras!" Ash said, calling out his  
pokémon. "Use water gun!"  
  
"Dodge it with your agility and use dragon rage," the scientist ordered  
his growlithe.  
  
"Stop it with your body slam!" Ash said quickly. Fortunately for him  
and the others, Lapras launched itself forward and landed on the growlithe,  
preventing it from calling the dragon rage. "Now use water gun while you  
have it pinned."  
  
The scientist glowered as his trapped growlithe was met with a point  
blank range water gun and quickly fainted. "Not bad," he muttered, recalling  
his pokémon. "But let's see how you handle Charmeleon!"  
  
"Bring it on," Ash said with a confident smile. But before he could  
call out his first attack, the charmeleon launched a flamethrower as soon as  
it appeared, catching Lapras off guard and burning her badly. "Hey!" Ash  
said, rushing over to check on Lapras. "What was that about?"  
  
"I trained Charmeleon to use a flamethrower as soon as he is called out,  
the scientist said with a smirk. "Now then, if you have no other pokémon, you  
can leave and try again some other time."  
  
"Oh I have more pokémon," Ash said, gently rubbing Lapras' neck before  
recalling her to her pokéball. "As a matter of fact, try dealing with this--"  
  
"Wait Ash," Penny said, grabbing Ash's arm before he could use the  
pokémon she'd given him. "It's not the time or the place yet. Trust me on  
this."  
  
"Are you going to battle or listen to your girlfriend all day?" the  
scientist asked as his charmeleon made a rude gesture with its claw.  
  
"She's not his girlfriend," Misty said, but no one seemed to hear her.  
  
"Fine, if I can't use that one, then I'll use Charizard!" Ash yelled,  
calling out his fiery winged lizard.  
  
"What a puny excuse for a charizard," the scientist said, and his  
charmeleon followed suit in its own language. "This will be easy. Charmeleon  
use dig and get rid of this pretender."  
  
Charmeleon immediately dug down into the hard floor of the basement, but  
in doing so missed the look of rage that came into Charizard's eyes. With his  
tail flame burning bright enough to light up the whole basement, Charizard  
stomped over to the hole that Charmeleon had dug and launched his flamethrower  
within its depths.  
  
"What is it doing?" the scientist asked, forced to take a few steps  
back by Charizard's rampage.  
  
"Exactly what I figured he would," Ash said with a smirk of his own.  
And just as Ash had figured, Charizard's flamethrower was so powerful that it  
forced Charmeleon to dig itself out early to escape the intense heat. But  
even that couldn't save it from fainting.  
  
"How could Charmeleon fall to such a pathetic charizard?" the scientist  
nearly cried.  
  
Charizard's head whipped around and he glared at the scientist, making  
the man fall down on his backside. "Charizard return!" Ash ordered. Of  
course, Charizard never liked to be ordered around so he launched his  
flamethrower at Ash. Ash managed to dodge it though, and returned Charizard  
to his pokéball before he could get another blast off. "I figured you'd do  
that too," he murmured to the pokéball before clipping it back on his belt.  
  
"You're crazy!" the scientist said, scooting back against the wall and  
edging toward the door.  
  
"Hey now," Penny said as she and Misty blocked his way. "You wouldn't  
be trying to get out without giving Ash his key, would you?"  
  
"That really wouldn't be fair you know," Misty added, pulling a pokéball  
from her bag and idly turning it around in her hand.  
  
The scientist muttered something under his breath but pulled a key from  
his pocket and threw it at Ash. "There, now get out!" he said.  
  
"With pleasure," Ash said, snatching the key off the floor and putting  
it in his own pocket.  
  
"Wait up a minute," the scientist said as Ash and the others were about  
to step out the door. "I'll give you one word of advice; be prepared to fight  
as soon as you step into the gym."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ash asked, turning around to look at  
him. But the scientist would say nothing more and Ash had to leave with his  
question unanswered.  
  
Later that afternoon, Ash, Misty, and Penny were sitting at a table in  
the café where Ash had first found Penny, discussing their options while Ash's  
pokémon were recharged in the nearby Pokémon Center. "This is a nice place  
and all," Ash said, "but I really want to get my badge today so we can get on  
our way to Pallet Town. I kinda miss my mom," he finished sheepishly.  
  
"I guess I can't blame you for that Ash," Misty said as their food was  
delivered. "But Brock might not be travel ready yet. I say we finish out the  
week that Suzie has the penthouse reserved for and then we travel back to  
Pallet Town."  
  
"Besides," Penny added, pouring a liberal amount of ketchup on her apple  
slices, "that gives you about four days to work on our relationships, as you  
promised you'd do."  
  
"I did?" Ash asked, rubbing his chin in thought. At the sudden and  
evil glares he got from the ladies he was sitting with, he raised his hands  
defensively and let out a nervous chuckle. "I'm kidding, all right? Of  
course I remember."  
  
"See that you don't forget," Misty said, turning up her nose at him, but  
then looking at him out of the corner of her eye with a smile.  
  
Ash rolled his eyes and shook his head. "All right, you win. After I  
get my badge we'll figure something out. At the very least, I'll take you  
each out on a date."  
  
"A date?" Penny asked, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Sorry  
if I'm not familiar with all the human customs yet, but I don't have any idea  
what you're talking about."  
  
"A date is when a guy and a girl go out together," Misty explained. "At  
first, dates are used to try to get to know each other and get an idea of how  
the relationship might work out. Later on, when the couple is sure that they  
want to be together, dating will bring them closer together as they just spend  
time around each other."  
  
"Sounds nice," Penny said with a smile. "So what do people do on  
dates?"  
  
"Depends on the people. Some go to the movies, or a play. Some just go  
out to eat, like with a picnic or something. It all depends on what the two  
people want to do. There's no right or wrong way to date as long as you do  
something you both like to do."  
  
"Sounds like you have a lot of experience with dates," Ash remarked,  
sounding a little sad.  
  
"Nope, never been on one," Misty said, and actually somehow sounded  
proud of that. "But with all the guys my sisters have been out with, you  
can't help picking up a few things here and there. I've always said I would  
only go out with a guy I was in love with. And now I'll get my chance."  
  
Ash smiled at Misty's words but then sighed. "Are we agreed then?" he  
asked.  
  
"I think we are, but there's just one other thing we need to decide,"  
Misty said with a slightly evil smile on her lips.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Ash asked, lifting his bacon cheeseburger up to take a bite  
out of it. "And what's that?"  
  
"Which one of us are you going to take out first?"  
  
Ash paused in mid-bite, his eyes going wide as he stared at Misty and  
then at Penny. He slowly lowered the burger back to his plate as his gaze  
switched between the two of them. "Err...," he said as he slowly stood up, "I  
think I'd better go get my pokémon now. Meet you at the gym!"  
  
Misty and Penny both laughed as Ash ran off in a cloud of dust. "Oh  
well," Penny said, grabbing some French Fries from Ash's plate, "more for us  
now."  
  
It was nearly evening when Misty and Penny met up with Ash in front of  
the Cinnabar Gym. "So Ash, did you get your badge already?" Misty asked as  
they walked up to him.  
  
"No," he said a bit huffily, "I was actually waiting for you two."  
  
"Waiting for us?" Penny asked. "Why?"  
  
"I wanted you both there when I go for this. Besides, there hasn't been  
a badge battle yet where you both weren't there for me. Or against me, as the  
case may be," he added, chuckling a bit.  
  
Misty chuckled too as she remembered. "Well, I wasn't going to let  
Daisy just give you the badge," she said. "Shall we go in?"  
  
"Before we do, do want to change Penny? I could use your help in the  
battle."  
  
"Not this time Ash," Penny said, shaking her head. "I just want to be  
a spectator today. I don't feel like getting some of my fur singed off. I  
have no idea how that might look when I change back to human."  
  
Ash nodded with a smile. "It's gonna be weird not having you to fall  
back on," he admitted, grasping the visor of his cap and spinning it around to  
the back. "Now then, let's get this badge!"  
  
He placed the key in the keyhole and turned it. The door immediately  
started to rise up, revealing a battlefield made from obsidian and granite, as  
if forged from the very heart of the volcano that made the island. Ash took a  
moment to admire the beauty of it before stepping inside.  
  
"Arcanine, Fire Spin!"  
  
Ash leapt back out of the gym, knocking both Misty and Penny over as he  
barely avoided the fiery tornado that had been aimed at him. "What's the big  
idea?" he yelled, helping the girls to their feet.  
  
An aging, bald man stepped out of the shadows and regarded Ash with a  
sneer. He was dressed like a scientist as well, only he wore small black  
glasses perched on his nose and a bushy mustache that stuck straight out to  
the sides. "I'm Blaine, the leader of the Cinnabar Gym," he said, crossing his  
arms in front of him. "If you won that key fair and square then you were  
warned to be ready to battle as soon as you stepped foot in this gym. It's  
not my fault you weren't ready. Now if you'd like to try this again, I  
suggest you get in here. Otherwise, stop wasting my time."  
  
"You're on!" Ash said, grabbing a pokéball from his belt. "Squirtle! I  
choose you!"  
  
"Squirtle!" Squirtle said as it appeared.  
  
"Squirtle, run in there and spray your water gun all over!"  
  
"Squirtlesquirt!" Squirtle said, doing just as Ash asked. The arcanine  
was too fast though, and evaded the attack with ease. But then, that wasn't  
the point. Ash used the distraction to rush into the gym and take his place  
at the end of the battlefield.  
  
"Nice move," Blaine said, his voice gravelly and scratchy as it had over  
the intercom. "But try dealing with this! Arcanine, take down!"  
  
"Withdraw!" Ash ordered, pleased when Arcanine's attack just glanced  
off Squirtle's hard shell. "Now water gun!"  
  
"Agility!" Blaine said, and arcanine sped over to the other side of the  
gym before the first droplets of water even left Squirtle's mouth. "Now use  
your take down again! And don't let up this time!"  
  
"Withdraw!" Ash called again, but this time Arcanine continued to bat  
around Squirtle like a hockey puck. "No!"  
  
"Use flamethrower, and aim right in the hole for his head," Blaine  
ordered with a sadistic smile.  
  
"Return!" Ash said, recalling Squirtle just as Arcanine released its  
flamethrower. "Go Lapras!"  
  
"Take down," Blaine said calmly, as if having this match well in hand.  
  
"Duck Lapras!" Ash called out. The maneuver caught Arcanine off guard  
and the fire pokémon ended up straddling Lapras' neck. "Now flip it up into  
the air and use water gun!"  
  
"That'll never work," Blaine said confidently. "Arcanine is much too  
big for--" Blaine never finished his thought as Lapras managed to get the  
doglike pokémon airborne and blasted it squarely with her water gun. "Perhaps  
I underestimated you," he admitted when he recalled Arcanine. "It won't  
happen again. Go Rapidash!"  
  
"Water gun again!" Ash told Lapras, but Rapidash was simply too fast to  
tag with it.  
  
"Rapidash, horn drill!"  
  
"Dodge it!" Ash said quickly. Lapras threw herself to the side to  
escape the horn drill but slid a little further than anticipated on the water  
slickened surface. "That's it!" Ash said, hit with a sudden burst of  
inspiration. "Lapras! Cover the floor with your water gun!"  
  
"What are you trying now?" Blaine asked, sounding amused at first. But  
his amusement quickly faded as it soon became obvious to him. When obsidian  
gets wet, it gets very slippery, and Rapidash could find no purchase on its  
surface. "How dare you!"  
  
"Now Lapras, slide along the floor and use headbutt!" Lapras slid  
across the slick floor as easily as it sailed through the waves and knocked  
Rapidash into the wall with a massive headbutt.  
  
"Awesome Ash!" Misty cheered as Penny let out a piercing whistle.  
"Keep it up!"  
  
Ash flashed Misty and Penny a thumbs up but then had to turn quickly  
around when Lapras screamed in pain. "Lapras!" he yelled as she was hit with  
two consecutive fire blasts.  
  
"Never take your eyes off your opponent," Blaine said. "It's a shame  
that your lapras had to learn that lesson for you."  
  
Ash recalled Lapras before another fire blast could be sent her way and  
glared at the pokémon that sent it. Blaine had recalled his rapidash and  
called out his magmar, a pokémon Ash had never seen before in person. And so,  
like always, he pulled out his pokédex and scanned it. "Magmar, the spitfire  
pokémon," Dexter reported. "Born in an active volcano. Its body is always  
cloaked in flames, so it looks like a big ball of fire."  
  
"Ash!" Penny yelled. "Use it now. Now!"  
  
Ash detached the pokéball from his belt and stared at it for a moment.  
"I trust you," he said, enlarging it and throwing it. "Pokémon go!"  
  
An unusually large flash of light filled the gym, and when it cleared  
everyone's jaw, except Penny's of course, dropped to the floor. For flying  
above the battlefield was the legendary bird of ice, Articuno. "How?" Ash  
asked, completely dumbstruck.  
  
Articuno was slightly annoyed at being disturbed. Not only had she  
been cooped up in that pokéball since its capture by that weird pikachu...  
girl...whatever she was, now she was being gawked at. She'd never liked being  
stared at, and she took her frustration out on the most obvious target,  
Blaine's magmar. And the form of her frustration was a blizzard that froze it  
in a solid block of ice.  
  
"How did you get Articuno?" Blaine demanded.  
  
"I--" Ash began, but even he had no answer. But then he saw steam  
rising from the block of ice that encased Magmar as the fire pokémon started  
to melt his way out.  
  
"Do something Ash!" Penny said. "Call out a move or something!"  
  
"But what does Articuno have?" he asked.  
  
Penny shrugged, but apparently Dexter thought that the question was  
directed at him. "Articuno, move one: blizzard. Move two: sky attack."  
  
"Articuno, sky attack!"  
  
Articuno glared at the human who dared to order her around like a common  
pidgey. But looking at him, actually getting a good look at him this time,  
made her pause. There was something about him that made her want to listen.  
It certainly deserved more thought, but for right now she would do as he said.  
Calling up the power within herself so that she fairly glowed with power, the  
legendary bird streaked down and struck the ice-encased magmar with her sky  
attack, shattering the ice and sending the unconscious pokémon to land at its  
trainer's feet.  
  
Blaine nearly growled in anger and frustration as he was forced to  
recall his final pokémon. He pulled a Volcano Badge out of his pocket and  
threw it at Ash. "There's your badge, now get out!"  
  
Ash caught the badge out of reflex and attached it to the inside of his  
jacket. Still in a daze, he returned Articuno to her pokéball and walked  
outside, Penny hurrying to follow him and pulling Misty along with her.  
  
Blaine pushed a button on a nearby wall to slam the door shut behind  
them. "So, the boy has Articuno," he muttered to himself, walking toward the  
back rooms. "Giovanni will be very interested to learn this."  
  
Ash, Misty, and Penny stood just outside the gym, two of them still in  
shock. "Why didn't you tell me you'd caught Articuno?" Ash asked finally.  
  
"It didn't seem important at the time," Penny said. "I mean, when  
compared with your life and all, it's not even close."  
  
"I can't argue that," Misty said. "But still, Articuno.... One of the  
three most legendary pokémon in the world."  
  
"And you just gave her to me?" Ash asked in awe.  
  
"Of course," Penny said, blushing. "I have no use for any pokémon of my  
own, so I figured she'd help you out."  
  
Ash just stared at Penny for a moment before wrapping her up in a big  
hug. "Thank you so much!" he said, spinning her around a bit before setting  
her on her feet. He grabbed her hand and then grabbed Misty's as well. "Come  
on, we gotta tell Brock and Suzie about this. And then we have to celebrate."  
  
"Sounds good to me," Penny said. Misty nodded, slowly coming out of her  
shock as the three ran hand in hand back to the Flaming Flareon hotel, each  
happy in their own way and for their own reasons.  



End file.
